Drinking lots of water is key to good health. However it can get a little boring just drinking plain water all day. Rather than breaking down and buying juice or a soda; why not try flavoring your water like in the recipe below? This recipe is my all time favorite because it's refreshing and very soothing when you have an upset stomach. I drink this one all day long!

Ingredients

1/2 orange, sliced

1/2 lemon, sliced

4-6 thin slices of fresh ginger

a small handful of basil leaves

dash of cayenne

2 cups ice

Instructions1) Place all the ingredients into a water pitcher and top with water.2) Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to allow the full flavor to come out.

You can keep topping up the water as you go. Will keep for about 3-4 days in the fridge before you will need to change the fruit again.

Eating well is essential for long term health but so is staying active. That is why I like to share new fitness ideas sometimes on the blog to help inspire people to be more active.

I try my best to stay active but I have to say as I get older I really start to appreciate the importance of keeping my muscles limber. Stretching daily can be all the difference between feeling great and daily achy pains. Yoga is a great practice not only for keeping your muscles flexible but it helps encourage muscle strength and relaxation (something we could all use!).

One of the challenges with yoga and with any exercise habit if finding the time to fit it in. If you have thought of giving yoga a try and want a good challenge to get you started I highly recommend the 30 day yoga challenge.

The idea is that you complete a short yoga challenge each day over the period of a month. I started one myself only a week ago and have to say I have already noticed a difference in my joint pain and flexibility. If you would like to try one yourself, I suggest trying the DoYouYoga.com YouTube Channel.

They have a number of yoga challenges on their site for all different experience levels. There is the Yoga Challenge for Beginners which I highly recommend for those just starting out. A Yoga Challenge for Men which I personally haven't tried but hey, I suppose men have different stretching needs sometimes. They have the Yoga Shred Challenge which is great for people that prefer a short interval high intensity workout that will get your heart pumping. It may be short but it is NOT easy by any means.

I am currently doing the 30 Day Yoga challenge with Erin Motz. Each day's challenge is only about 10-15 minutes and it combines both a mix of easy activities as well as some really challenging ones. You might find certain days easier than others depending how flexible you are in different parts of your body.

For example I do quite well with the abdominal days but the lower back ones give me a lot of trouble. You might be the opposite! The important thing to remember is to be gentle with yourself. You might find you're not as flexible as the instructor in the video but as you work through the exercises you will be working towards better flexibility. Don't be shy if the video does something you cannot handle. You can also go back to a previous move they did in the video that you were comfortable with. The idea with yoga is to pay attention to your body and go at your own pace. DO NOT PUSH TO PAIN!

Also, be sure to talk to your doctor if you have any existing health conditions that might make yoga not the right fit for you. Otherwise good luck with your own personal yoga challenge!

I've posted below the starter video for some of the different challenges to give you an idea of what to expect:

This is one of my favorite mixes to put together when my go to cereal box runs empty. You can mix in other favorite dried fruits to shake things up.

Ingredients

1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup large flake oats

2 tbsp dried blue berries

2 tbsp sliced almonds

1-2 tsp maple syrup

Instructions1) Place yogurt in a small serving bowl.2) Top with all remaining ingredients in order and drizzle on the maple syrup.***note: blueberries are almost in season! Be sure to substitute in fresh blueberries once they arrive.

Maybe you are into the iced coffee as much as I am. When the weather gets warm it's all I want to drink.! Unfortunately many of the iced coffees and lattes at the shops are loaded with so much sugar and cream you might as well order an ice cream sundae to go.

Here is an easy way to make an iced latte at home in minutes. It just requires a little preparation the day before.

1) Take the left over coffee from your coffee pot and pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it over night.

2) Take 1 cup of original almond or soy milk and warm it in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Warming the milk helps speed up the process.

3) Take your now frozen coffee cubes and pop about 6-8 of them into your glass or to go cup.

4) Pour the slightly warms milk over the coffee cubes. Within about a minute you will have a refreshing latte to enjoy!

A big thank you to everyone that came our for the event at Mustard Seed Coop yesterday! It's was a lot of fun cooking with all of you and sharing some tasty food.

For those of you that missed the event I thought I'd share one of the recipes from the class for you to try at home. French fries have to be one of my favorite things on the planet! They are crunchy little bites of perfection. In order to be able to enjoy this tasty treat more often I came up with a healthier alternative that even little kids will enjoy. This is the basic recipe but you can experiment with seasoning the fries how you like and match them with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Parsnip and Carrot Fries with Spicy AioliIngredients 2 large carrots 2 parsnips 3 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper to taste ½ low fat mayo ¼ cup low fat plain Greek yogurt 1 tbsp sriracha sauceInstructions1)Peel and slice carrots and parsnips into 1 cm x 5 cm thin strips.2)Toss carrots and parsnips into a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper until well coated.3)Line vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 400*F for 10 minutes. Turn and cook for another 10-15 minutes. You can bake them longer if needed to get the desired crispiness. Just keep an eye on them and turn them at least every 3 minutes after the original baking time.4)While the vegetables are cooking, mix the mayo, yogurt and hot sauce in a small dish. Set aside.5)Serve fries with the mayo dip on the side.

Author

Kate ParkRD, CDE, PTS, MAN, BAScKate is a Registered Dietitian and self proclaimed foodie who studied her Master of Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. Currently she practices at a Family Health Team in Southern Ontario. Her greatest passion in life is food, so she spends her spare time teaching cooking classes and nutrition courses all over Ontario.